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Ex-Infinity Ward heads now represented by Creative Artists Agency
In the video game industry, the talent (read: game developers) are often "hired guns," if you will -- part of a developer that is either wholly owned by a publisher (i.e. Infinity Ward's relationship with Activision) or a developer that's being contracted for development by a publisher (i.e. Ruffian Games' relationship with Microsoft). Rarely, if ever, is an individual (or individuals, as is the case here) represented by a talent agency, nonetheless a fancy, bigtime Hollywood one like Creative Artists Agency. That is, however, the case for the recently let go ex-Infinity Ward heads Vince Zampella and Jason West, who recently inked a deal with the agency. Though a CAA representative wouldn't divulge any info on what the duo's next move is (nor the CAA's next move on their behalf), we have to imagine the pair's pedigree will help out just a bit in finding work. According to the LA Times Company Town blog report, hollywood talent agencies aren't exactly known for scooping up game developers, so this could very well mark a new option for (at very least) big name devs in search of greener pastures.
How the Terminator's .45 Longslide with laser sighting came to be (video)
While Arnie's one-handed reloads on his Winchester 1887 may make that shotgun the most iconic weapon of Terminator 2, his laser-sighted .45 Longslide was definitely king in the first. Laser sights are something you can buy in any gun shop today, but back in 1984 they were extremely rare -- and expensive. The one for the movie was custom made by SureFire, a company that specializes in tactical flashlights. Lasers at the time were helium neon, requiring a whopping 10,000 volts to power on and a constant 1,000 volts to stay bright. To manage this on a shoestring budget in the '80s the weapon had a wire running up Arnie's sleeve to a battery inside his jacket and a switch he had to activate with his other hand. (A non-functional prop was used for close-ups.) Crude, but effective, and, most importantly, cheap -- SureFire representatives received only a T-shirt and some other assorted movie swag. Now, what kind of weapon could we get for a box of Engadget shirts...
Warner Bros. in talks to produce Space Invaders movie
According to a recent report from the L.A. Times, Warner Bros. is in talks with Japanese game developer Taito to secure the rights for a film adaptation of Space Invaders. The Times speculates the film would be a big-budget action-blockbuster, helmed by prolific producers of big-budget action-blockbusters, such as Mark Gordon, Jason Blum and Guymon Casady. In other news, we're planning on doing our own version of Space Invaders pretty soon, only it will be about us, attempting to invade outer space, because we don't want to live on this stupid, terrible planet anymore. [Via IGN]
The problem with 'exciting' starting zones
We love it when game designers make an observation that sometimes escapes us, like Dusty Monk's insightful post about the issue surrounding starting zones -- specifically in Cryptic Studio's last three games. His problem stems from the way in which the developer is responding to gamers' demands of a starting zone experience that doesn't involve a newly minted character thwacking sickly rabbits with a twig. It's an old -- almost passe -- gripe that was well founded back in the first half of the 00's. As many of you no doubt know, City of Villains, Champions Online and Star Trek Online tutorials all begin by inundating the character with chaotic immediacy, and information. Dusty's problem is the combination of these two elements. He posits that any sense of urgency is killed immediately upon the opening of a substantially novella-like text window. On the flip side of that problem, he contends that it's tough to learn a new system(s) while a Hollywoood blockbuster is taking place around you. And like any good person with an opinion, he's got a solution for the problem, too.
Theaters brought in more cash than Discs last year
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/business_finance/Theaters_brought_in_more_cash_than_Discs_last_year'; During one of the worst economies our parents have ever seen, according to Adams research, people spent $9.97 billion to get out of the house to see a movie last year -- up 10 percent from 2008. At the same time, Disc sales (DVD and Blu-ray included) were down 13 percent to $8.73 billion -- which wasn't down nearly as much as most consumer goods. Now we know what you're thinking, all those digital downloads must be cutting into Disc sales, but you're wrong. In fact despite plenty of growth, VOD via cable and satellite services brought in $1.27 billion, while digital downloads only managed $0.36 billion -- so yeah not even 5 percent of what Discs brought in. What probably did cut into Disc sales more than anything else though was rentals, which rose 1.8 percent to $8.15 billion -- no wonder Warner made a deal with Netflix and other studios withheld titles from Redbox. Overall Hollywood fared pretty well totaling $28.38 billion on features movies alone so while there are a few potentially disruptive technologies out there, so far none have been.
Modern Warfare 2 talent director Keith Arem moves to film
[IMDB] What do you do once you've directed actors for a game that's piled up millions faster than pretty much everything? Well, if you follow the Keith Arem School of Thought, you move on to directing in film. Variety reports that Arem's just signed on to direct upcoming action-thriller Frost Road -- the story of a man who awakens from a car crash to find the world is infected with a deadly disease to which he is inexplicably immune. Moving on to movie making is not much of a stretch for Arem, who was the talent director responsible for rounding up actors and coordinating their efforts in Modern Warfare 2. He also penned the script for Frost Road, so we're totally expecting the protagonist to have one bitchin' mustache.
Kaleidescape gets in line behind RealDVD for rough treatment
When it rains it pours -- right on the heels of the punishing blow dealt to RealDVD, the money-laden Kaleidescape crowd suffered its own setback at the hands of the law. You just know that the DVD CCA (Copy Control Association) appealed the 2007 ruling that allowed Kaleidescape owners to rip DVDs to their media servers, and yesterday a California Appeals Court overturned that ruling. Next stop -- the Santa Clara Superior Court, which could place an injunction on Kaleidescape if the appeal is upheld. It's not over yet, but we're prepping the soundboard with ominous music, boos and noisy hand-wringing. Whatever (and whenever) the outcome, we can only hope that Blu-ray's Managed Copy comes to the scene sooner rather than later and settles this issue for our beloved HD content
Court injunction puts sales of RealDVD on ice, hopes and dreams in purgatory
Something tells us Kaleidescape has a man (or woman, to be fair) on the inside, else United States District Court Judge Marilyn Patel is just downright trifilin'. In every visible way, RealNetworks' proposed RealDVD player was exactly what Kaleidescape was, but for people with annual salaries far less than $9,854,392,220. Regardless of our opinion, a preliminary injunction has just been passed down from The Almighty in the robe, which blocks the sale of the RealDVD software here in the US. The six major movie studies filed the suit last September, alleging that it "illegally violated their right to restrict the use of their movies in digital form." Evidently those that matter agree. A RealNetworks spokesperson took the time to vent their feelings on the whole ordeal, and since we know you're curious, we've pasted it below for your convenience.We are disappointed that a preliminary injunction has been placed on the sale of RealDVD. We have just received the Judge's detailed ruling and are reviewing it. After we have done so fully, we'll determine our course of action and will have more to say at that time.[Via Electronista]
Gary Whitta worked on a Warcraft screenplay
You'll notice that I surreptitiously left the question of "screenwriter" out of the other day's Breakfast Topic. That's because, quite frankly, I have no idea who I want writing the Warcraft movie. The folks I really like in Hollywood are probably too quirky to write an epic movie like this, and the folks who usually write these epic movies are too lame to handle a world like Warcraft. In my mind, only someone like Metzen should wield the pen for this one, and even then, his strengths lie in creating universes, not dialog. So I have no idea.But apparently there's already a screenplay being worked on: with the news that Sam Raimi is taking the helm, screenwriter Gary Whitta (who's written both for games and movies) says he'd been working with both Legendary and Blizzard on crafting a screenplay that included both the sprawling world and a story that would resonate with non-players. But he says that since Raimi took over, it's likely the whole thing will go in another direction, as "his own pretty specific vision of what he wanted to do story-wise." Whitta does say, however, that, from what he's heard, "Raimi is the best possible director for this." Sounds good to us.It'll be quite a tightrope to walk: depending on what Legendary actually wants out of the film, they've got to make the story interesting and pressing enough that even non-WoW players will get into it without ruining and/or ignoring the reason why there are so many players in the first place: the lush and intriguing universe we've all enjoyed playing in. Anyone tasked with putting together a script that uses all of those blocks to build something great will have quite a job ahead of them.[via Blue's News]
'Asteroids' heading towards the big screen?
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Universal has won an all-out "bidding war" over the film rights to Atari's classic Asteroids video game. We're not entirely sure who all was involved in this "war," but the conflict couldn't possibly be prompted over the universal themes tackled by the story of the plucky little triangular spaceship and the asteroid field it inhabits. As the Reporter, um, reports: "As opposed to today's games, there is no story line or fancy world-building mythology." Michael Bay is rumored to be very interested in directing.[Via George Ruiz]
Universal wins 'bidding war' for Asteroids movie rights
[INTERIOR] [SPACE STATION SORBET VII]ENSIGN CAMEO: Sir! I'm picking up several signatures on my gamma pulse spectrum radar!GENERAL CONSENSUS: Is it an attack? Did the Radical Space Sect find us?ENSIGN CAMEO: No, sir, these objects are too small ... too listless and apathetic to be ships! It's like they have no particular trajectory ... they're completely unpredictable.GENERAL CONSENSUS: Dr. Diana Fhire! What do you make of this?DR. FHIRE: Hmm, I've never seen anything like this, possibly because I'm meant to be this film's gratuitous eye candy and thus possess highly suspect academic qualifications like Denise Richards did in that one Bond movie. Anyway, my tachyon scanner indicates that we are not dealing with biological matter. In fact, the substance seems ... no, that can't be!GENERAL CONSENSUS: What? What are we dealing with here?DR. FHIRE: Rocks. Big rocks. In space.GENERAL CONSENSUS: My god. Space rocks ... but how?DR. FHIRE: It's only a theory, but I believe coming into contact with these ... these ... "asteroids" could kill us severely. GENERAL CONSENSUS: How ... how many of them pose a threat?[CLOSE UP ON DR. FHIRE]DR. FHIRE: All of them, general.[CLOSER UP ON DR. FHIRE]DR. FHIRE. All. Of. Them.[INTERIOR] [ALARMS SOUND]GENERAL CONSENSUS: Ensign! Get me gruff-but-likable washout pilot Jack Plot. He's the only one that can fly the experimental Triangulon Mark V --DR. FHIRE: The Triangulon?! Are you crazy? That thing's still a prototype! It's not tested for --GENERAL CONSENSUS: We don't have a choice, Diana. I'm not getting my ass kicked by these roids! ASTEROIDS: THE MOVIEWritten by Matthew LopezProduced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura
Tigon's Ian Stevens: For Hollywood, 'making video games has been the same thing as making action figures'
Running Tigon Studios is a bit of a strange job to have. Ian Stevens, the man in charge, is responsible for not just organizing development talent to make games like this year's Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, but also working with Hollywood. And, unsurprisingly, he says it's a bit of an uphill battle, telling GamesIndustry.biz, "It's really hard to take something that's native to a certain medium and just draw a line, which is what people are usually trying to do [with games based on movies.]" He equates the attention Hollywood has been giving to game versions of its films with "action figures, pictures on cereal boxes, and [themed] pajamas," saying it's just part of the "licensing and merchandising" of a property, rather than creating something unique and well-crafted from the start. Furthermore, Stevens says that the development studios who are working with nothing (think Ben 10) and making something -- anything -- out of it, are the real talent in the industry. "If you gave that team in Newcastle [Midway Newcastle] - through all that they've struggled with, technology, corporate business, all these different things - the kind of opportunity that someone like Valve has," he says, leaving us to postulate on the ending there. We'll let you guys fill that in all by yourselves.
Tigon's Ian Stevens sees an evolving relationship between gaming and Hollywood
No stranger to the Stiq, Tigon Studios head Ian Stevens has been talking Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena post-mortem recently. While speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, though, Stevens discussed the game industry and Hollywood becoming closer bedfellows, mostly due to -- wait for it -- money! Considering the $22 billion gaming made in the US in 2008, we're not exactly surprised when he says, "Hollywood and games, over the next decade, you'll see some really interesting things happen."When asked whether he believes Hollywood's attitude towards gaming has changed over the past five years, he seems somewhat wishy-washy, saying, "It certainly has [but] people in Hollywood struggle to understand the creative decisions that we make." And that's likely how we end up with treasures like 2004's Van Helsing, which Stevens says took precedence over the first Chronicles of Riddick game, Escape From Butcher Bay. How the tables have turned, eh Ian?
Legendary Pictures hires EA Casual vet for games venture
As expected, former EA Casual president Kathy Vrabeck has accepted the top spot at Legendary Pictures' new digital division. Variety reports that Vrabeck is looking to bring games based on Legendary's properties -- including the still-in-development The Lost Patrol, a tie-in with the upcoming 2010 theatrical thriller -- as well as original IP to consoles, mobile devices and online portals. The company's development effort will be based out of its offices on the Warner Bros. lot.Legendary's intent to add video games to its portfolio was actually revealed last year, but can now get into full swing under Vrabeck. While the production company is unproven in games, it has an impressive track record in Hollywood, having delivered the likes of Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and Watchmen. It's currently developing films based on World of Warcraft and Gears of War.[Via VG247]
RealNetworks steps up its RealDVD legal case, just wants your approval
It wasn't long ago that RealNetworks and its kludgy Player software were the bane of computer users everywhere. But, a few legal accusations later, Real is now the apple in the eye of every fair use advocate, fighting for the right for users to make legal copies of DVDs -- so long as you make them through its RealDVD software, of course. The company is now escalating its legal battle against Hollywood big wigs, suing the six major movie studios and the DVD Copy Control Association for anticompetitive activity, asking for monetary damages due to the sales it has lost since the industry asked for that initial injunction against RealDVD. We're not entirely sure who's going to come up on top of this one, but if Kaleidescape can survive the CCA, maybe Real can too.
Gears of War screenwriter wants The Rock for Marcus Fenix
Chris Morgan recently wrapped up his script for the Gears of War movie, and it's right around now that the folks behind the production of the film need to start thinking about a cast, with Marcus Fenix obviously being the most important character. While you may think thespians such as Sean Penn, Mickey Rourke, and Bruce Willis would do well in the role, Morgan actually likes Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, he told MTV.Morgan applauds The Rock's depth, saying he can "play the tough guy, but he can also play the nuanced, sensitive funny sad moments as well." He would need that depth, too, because if there's anything that must make it into the film, it's the game's deep, emotional storyline and characters.[Via DigitalBattle]
RealDVD ripping software heads to court, fair use advocates on pins and needles
Let's face it -- quite a lot is resting on the outcome of this case. For months now, RealNetworks has been unable to legally sell its RealDVD movie ripping software after a court issued a temporary restraining order that remains valid until it's decided if the application violates the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act). Now, the software is finally having its day in court, and the outcome could shape the future of the DVD player (for better or worse). You see, Real has already assembled a prototype Facet device that hums along on Linux; essentially, this DVD playing machine would sell for around $300 and could store up to 70 movies internally. On the surface, this sounds entirely like a poor man's Kaleidescape, but only time will tell if The Man agrees. Cross your fingers folks, we get the feeling fair use advocates are going to need the luck.
Screenwriter explains why Shadow of the Colossus would make a good film
The response to a potential Hollywood adaptation of Shadow of the Colossus has been rather polarizing. On one hand, fans of the game would love to see Fumito Ueda's vision come to life on the big screen. However, jaded movie watchers fear that a film simply wouldn't do the game justice -- especially in the unproven hands of screenwriter Justin Marks (Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li).Marks understands the pitfalls of adapting a game into a movie. He explained to The Hollywood Reporter that writers are "caught trying to please the fans and the mainstream audience." The balancing act of appeasing fans while holding onto mainstream sensibilities is a difficult one, but one can't help but wonder who Marks was trying to please with Street Fighter. Thankfully, Marks admits Shadow of the Colossus will be an easier film to adapt. "What's so nice about this game is that it's all seen through such an adult lens, so that what pleases the fans also pleases a wider audience."The simple nature of the game's tale should make Marks' job much easier. "What's nice about this game is that it's so sparse so you can start building right away." While he says he'll avoid Hollywood cliches, it'll take masterful writing to carefully construct an experience that resonates as strongly as the original game.
AMD ships 50 millionth 'Hollywood' graphics processing chip for Wii
A recent AMD press release brought word of yet another hardware milestone for Nintendo -- earlier today, AMD shipped its 50 millionth "Hollywood" chip, the graphics processor for the Wii. With such a large number of units sold, the "Hollywood" has become AMD's most successful (and likely most profitable) gaming console chip in the company's history.It's safe to assume by AMD's missive that Nintendo has manufactured around 50 million Wiis -- though their most recent LTD numbers place the console's sales around 45 million. Since Wiis stay on store shelves an average of fourteen seconds, this can mean only one thing: Someone, or something, has stolen five million Wiis. As usual, we blame the Nazis.
Hollywood still doesn't understand why people pirate content
We believe that the only way to really understand what is going on is to listen to both sides and this one of the reason why we like Home Media Magazine. We feel like it gives us an inside perspective into the minds of the Home Media market, and thus Hollywood. This recent post on said site by Erik Gruenwedel really exposes how Hollywood still doesn't understand piracy. While we recognize that some people will steal just for the sake of it, we really believe that most prefer the legit route -- when given a choice. But the tech savvy looking to move forward with how they consume content really don't have many options right now. With the CableCARD HTPC fiasco and the prices plus restrictions that go along with services like iTunes and Xbox Live Marketplace, what else is a geek to do? For a brief moment there with offerings like Hulu, It almost seemed like Hollywood was coming along , but then recently their true colors were revealed once again. The real problem of course is that while consumers look at technology a way to improve the way they consume content, Hollywood sees it as a threat, and even worse, as just a way to increase revenues and control over the content. And as far as downloading movies goes, can you say release window?
